Never
by Brian1
Summary: Misty tells Ash that she'll never come back, since Hoenn is the end of the line for the series. Other characters make a short appearance. Very short story; written as a warm up.


**Author's Note**: My computer died a few days ago, but I managed to buy a new computer that's much better (with DSL to boot). Unfortunately, that means I lost all my files, including drafts of **Shadows**, **Origin, ****Conversation, and **Ascension Chapter Five: Green's Triumphant Return**. Um, this is the third story for Season Three, and it's pretty short and confusing.**

-                       **Never                          -**

-                       **By Brian                     -**

            "You'll be coming back…right?" Ash said, looking right into her eyes. "Please tell me you'll be back, Misty."

            Her lips curved into a sad smile. "No, Ash. I won't be coming back."

            "But…but why? You can't leave forever…" he said, his voice becoming low. "What will I do without you?"

            The door of their room opens, and Brock walks in, followed by Gary, Professor Oak, Tracey, Team Rocket, his mom, and a girl that Ash doesn't know. 

            "What…what's going on?" asks Ash, looking around the room, dazed and confused. "Is there something you guys aren't telling me?"

            "Come on Ash, haven't you figured it out already?" said Gary, shaking his head in disapproval. "Don't tell me you're still dense after five seasons!"

            Ash looks at Gary, even more confused then before. Five seasons…? Was Gary going crazy now, just because he beat him in the Silver Conference? He thought they had patched things up…

            He looked at Misty, and she's was still packing her things into that red knapsack of hers. It was like she was oblivious to the fact that all of their friends are in the same room, even though all of them should be miles away.

            "Don't worry Ash, Misty is going to be fine," said Tracey, who was sketching Misty as she packed. "I'll be visiting her in case she ever gets lonely at the gym."

            Brock puts a comforting hand on Ash's shoulder. "If she really is your friend Ash, you'll be happy for her."

            Ash looks at his older friend and realizes that he's wearing different clothing. "Your clothing…where did you get your-"

            "The twerp's acting like it's Season One all over again!" Meowth said exasperatedly. "He's got to realize that things are changing!"

            His mother walks over to him, holding a pair of new clothes. "Oh Ash! You're still wearing those clothes? My, my...they must be so dirty from all those adventures! It's been five years now…you should put on these!"

            Ash had no time to object, seeing as how his new clothes were already on him before he knew it. "What the-how did you-what's going on mom?"

            She smiles. "It's all about change."

            "Change…?" said Ash, looking around the room once more, and then to Misty. "What has this got to do with change?"

            Professor Oak clears his throat loudly, causing Ash to shift his attention to him. "Change is what life is about, Ash. You of all people should know that."

            "But…what if you don't want things to change?" asks Ash, his voice shaky.

            "If things never changed, then life wouldn't be worth it!" cries out James. "If there was no change then I'd still be stuck at home, married to Jessiebelle!"

            "If there was no change," said Brock, "I'd still be at home caring for my siblings, and my parents wouldn't have had come back."

            "Without change, I wouldn't have left the orphanage after my mother died," said Jessie, "I would've died from grief if it wasn't for James and Meowth."

            "But…I…I don't want things to change…I don't want Misty to go…"

            Ash looked over to Misty and found that she was done packing. She looked older now, as if she had matured without him knowing about it.

            "But I have to go Ash. I'll still be around since I'm a host on Pokémon Encore, but I won't be joining you again. At least I'll live on in specials…and who knows? Maybe we'll star in a special episode together."

            Ash's eyes glanced downwards, unable to look into her eyes. "But I don't want you to just be in specials. I want you to join me in Hoenn! Or at least…you'll join up with me after Hoenn…?"

            "No," said Misty, "it's not a matter of want, Ash. I can't."

            "Why?"

            "Because Hoenn is the end of the line…it's the final saga to the Pokémon anime, Ash. After this…it's over. You'll either place fourth place or first place in the Pokémon League…but either way, it's done."

            "Done? It can't be done! We've still got so much to do…"

            Misty turned away. "You have a lot to do…but not with me-"

            "You'll be with me, instead," finished a girl who Ash did not recognize.

            "And who are you?" he asked angrily. "You've got some nerve-"

            "I'm May," she said with a smile, "and I'll be traveling with you very soon, Ash Ketchum."

            Ash backed away from the girl, not wanting what she was saying to be true. 

            He didn't want to have a new traveling companion.

            He didn't want Misty to be the Gym Leader of Cerulean City.

            He didn't want things to change.

            "Did I mention that your Pikachu fries my bike? Or that you get Pikachu to learn Iron Tail? And that you catch a Treecko, Taillow, and a Corphish? And that Team Rocket gets new pokémon, Brock likes water types, and I have a little brother who's constantly criticizing your every move?"

            Ash stared blankly at the girl, his eyes wide with shock. His Pikachu fried another girl's bike? Getting new pokémon? Team Rocket getting new pokémon? Former Pewter City Gym Leader Brock collecting water types? Had the world gone mad?

            "Misty…please come back someday…" he said, going on his knees in front of her. "Please come back…"

            "Never…" she said softly, before bursting into flame right in front of his eyes.

            Ash blinked, before realizing that he wasn't looking at Misty, but a campfire instead…. a warm, safe campfire…not a friend bursting into flame.

            "It must've been…" he said, noticing that he was in his sleeping bag instead of at the pokémon center, "a dream…"

            "Go to sleep, Ash," said a sleepy voice next to him. "Or you'll never get the Balance Badge…"

            "Um…right. Good night Misty," he said, laying his head down.

            "It's May, Ash. Night," she grumbled, before she drifted off to sleep.

            -                       **End                  -**

            What? Don't look at me for any explanation! This story confused the hell out of even me…it's mostly just a warm up since I haven't written a thing for 20 days now…I think? Or was it 15…?

            Oh yeah, and I personally think the anime series is going to end with Hoenn. I mean…I highly doubt that there's gonna be another series of games…even though I would love it if they did so. Since it takes roughly a year for Ash to complete each league, Misty wouldn't have time to visit, except at the final league tournament…but yeah…

            Pokémon Encore is shown only in Japan and it's hosted by Misty and Brock, who look back on the best episodes of Pokémon, such as when Charmander first evolved. Misty wears a kimono, while Brock has the most ridiculous suit and bow-tie I have ever seen. But anyways, the show also has specials, such as showing how Misty takes over the gym and how Brock deals with his mother's return.

            As usual, review and tell me how good (or bad) this story was.

            Next up…**Ascension: chapter five, and another one shot…**


End file.
